Argentina has already banned the entry of Brazilian bananas into its territory due to the existence of contaminating pests in the product. The fruit, however, is being smuggled into Paraguay, so authorities fear that it's circulating within the local market.

The bananas in question are infected by the black sigatoka, banana moko, and opogon sacchari pests. These pests affect the productivity of the plants, according to the National Quality, Plant, and Seed Health Service (Senave).

Experts clarified that consuming these contaminated bananas does not harm human health, but that they can cause serious problems to the national production and cause significant monetary damage.

Faced with this, they requested intensifying controls at the border to prevent the entry of the contaminated product. The idea is to prevent the infected fruit from entering the national market, as it would subsequently affect Paraguay's production.